An MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral: digital multi-function peripheral), which is one of image forming apparatuses, is provided with a plurality of functions such as a printer function, a copying function, a facsimile function and a scanner function. Such an image forming apparatus commonly has a liquid crystal display provided with a touch panel function and receives operation input from a user. Moreover, some of these image forming apparatuses are provided with a preview display function for displaying a print image (print preview image) on a screen of the liquid crystal display before printing image data. By using this preview display function, the user is able to confirm a printed matter of the image data on the screen before actually performing print output, and, in addition, is able to perform editing and the like on the screen in a case where the print image on the screen is different from desired one.
FIG. 13A through FIG. 13E are diagrams explaining a preview display function in a conventional image forming apparatus. In the diagrams, 100, 101, 102, 103 and 104 denote a preview screen, an edit button, a screen of various edit menus, an OK button and a footer, respectively. When a user performs a predetermined operation for the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus causes a touch panel screen thereof to display the preview screen 100. Then, a print preview image of image data is displayed on this preview screen 100.
First, the user sees the preview screen 100 to select a page to be edited (FIG. 13A, S101). Here, “Page 1” is selected by a touch operation of the user. Next, when the user presses (touches) the edit button 101 displayed on the preview screen 100 (FIG. 13B, S102), the image forming apparatus switches the touch panel screen and displays the screen of various edit menus 102 on the touch panel screen (FIG. 13C, S103). In this screen of various edit menus 102, edit items, for example, such as double-side setting, page aggregation, punch setting, header setting, blank sheet skip, book printing, footer setting, background pattern setting, and staple are displayed so as to be selectable by the user.
Then, when the user selects a desired edit item from the screen of various edit menus 102 at S103 above and further presses the OK button 103, edited content of the this edit item is reflected in the print preview image (FIG. 13D, S104). Here, the “footer setting” is selected by the touch operation of the user, and a date is able to be inserted in a footer.
Then, the image forming apparatus switches the touch panel screen to display the preview screen 100 on the touch panel screen again, but the edited content at S104 above is reflected in the preview screen 100. That is, in the case of this example, the date is inserted in the footer 104 of the “Page 1” in the preview screen 100 (FIG. 13E, S105). Note that, in a case where editing is performed also for other “Page 2”, “Page 3”, . . . , processing from S101 is performed repeatedly.
On the other hand, an electronic blackboard which enables handwriting input by a finger of a user or a stylus by using a large-sized liquid crystal display and a touch panel has been put into practical use.
FIG. 14A through FIG. 14D are diagrams explaining a handwriting input function in a conventional electronic blackboard. In the diagrams, 110, 111, 112 and 113 denote a handwriting input screen, various setting change buttons, a various setting change screen and a handwriting input image, respectively. When a user performs a predetermined operation for the electronic blackboard, the electronic blackboard causes the handwriting input screen 110 to display the various setting change button 111. Note that, this handwriting input screen 110 allows a touch operation, and is able to recognize a coordinate and a trace input by a finger of the user or a stylus to display as a handwriting input image.
First, when the user presses (touches) the various setting change button 111 displayed on the handwriting input screen 110 (FIG. 14A, S111), the electronic blackboard displays the various setting change screen 112 on the handwriting input screen 110 (FIG. 14B, S112). In this various setting change screen 112, for example, “stylus type”, “stylus size”, “stylus color” and the like are displayed so as to be selectable by the user. With the “stylus type”, a shape of a stylus tip is able to be set as a round shape, a square shape, a triangular shape or the like. With the “stylus size”, a size of the stylus is able to be set as thick, normal, thin or the like. With the “stylus color”, a color of the stylus is able to be set as black, red, green or the like.
Then, when the user selects desired setting from the various setting change screen 112 at S112 above and thereafter presses the various setting change button 111 to close the various setting change screen 112 (FIG. 14C, S113), the electronic blackboard reflects the setting selected by the user at S112 in the handwriting input image 113 by the finger of the user or the stylus (FIG. 14D, S114). For example, in a case where setting of the stylus is set as “round shape, thick, red color”, the handwriting input image 113 input by the user to the handwriting input screen 110 by the finger or the stylus is displayed so as to be “round shape, thick, red color”.
However, for the operation input explained in FIG. 13A through FIG. 13E and FIG. 14A through FIG. 14D above, screen transition occurs a plurality of times, and there is a problem that user convenience is poor. Moreover, each time the number of functions increases, hierarchy becomes deeper, and the number of times of operations increases until the user reaches a required function, so that there is a problem that a burden on the user is large, as well.
Against this, technologies by which electronic device such as an image forming apparatus or an electronic blackboard is linked with a mobile terminal such as a smart phone to improve user convenience are variously proposed. For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-89161, a system composed of an image forming apparatus, a server and a mobile terminal is described. According to this, when the mobile terminal is held over the server, the server performs user authentication, and generates menu information corresponding to an execution state of the image forming apparatus to transmit to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal performs selection of a desired service and a set value from among the menu information acquired from the server, and is held over the server again. The server acquires selection response information from the mobile terminal, and controls the image forming apparatus so as to execute the service designated by this information.
However, by the invention described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-89161 above, the image forming apparatus is able to be controlled corresponding to operation input from the mobile terminal, but, due to necessity of being through the server, a user is not able to know how content input from the mobile terminal is being reflected in the image forming apparatus.